Five Teams Remain In Hunt for State Basketball Title

And then there were five. 

Last week the plays began for Class 4 and Class 5 basketball teams around Missouri. Most of the schools in St. Charles County hit the courts for District tournaments knowing a win was needed to continue the season. Once the champions were crowned, these five St. Charles County teams remain.

Francis Howell Central Girls

• Class: 5
• How they got here: The Howell Central girls went 2-0 in the District 7 Tournament to reach the Sectional round. The Lady Spartans beat Fort Zumwalt South 42-25 before knocking off Francis Howell North 37-25 to win the District title. 
  
• Sectional matchup: Howell Central will face Hazelwood Central at 6 p.m. on Feb. 29, at Maryville University in the opening round of the Championship Tournament. 

• Class: 5
• How they got here: Fort Zumwalt West made the Sectional round after a two-point in the District 6 Tournament finals. West beat Timberland 67-37 in Districts to make the finals. In the championship game, the Lady Jaguars pulled out a 44-42 win over Troy Buchanan to keep its season alive.
  
• Sectional matchup: Zumwalt West will square off against Kirkwood in the Sectional round at 6 p.m. on Feb. 29, at St. Louis Community College-Meramec.

• Class: 5
• How they got here: Zumwalt South kept its season alive with back-to-back wins in the District 7 tourney. The Bulldogs beat Zumwalt East 61-46 before defeating Howell Central 58-48 to claim the District crown.  
  
• Sectional matchup: Howell Central will face McCluer North at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 29, at Maryville University in the first round of the march to Columbia. 

• Class: 4
• How they got here: The Duchesne girls went 3-0 to claim the District 7 Tournament. Duchesne beat St. Charles West 57-47 in the opening round before taking out St. Charles 46-37. In the Championship game, Duchesne defeated St. Dominic 45-33. 
  
• Sectional matchup: Duchesne will be hitting the road to head up north for its Sectional game. The Lady Pioneers will take on Kirksville at 6 p.m. on Feb. 29, at Moberly Area Community College. 

• Class: 4
• How they got here: Joining the girls team in the march toward a State title will be the Duchesne boys. The District 7 champs beat St. Charles West 70-48 before taking out St. Dominic 67-53 in the finals. 
  
• Sectional matchup: Duchesne will face Mexico at 7:45 p.m. on Feb. 29, at Moberly Area Community College.